Internal-combustion engine



H. A. NORDWICK Mar. 3. 1925. I 1,528,164

INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Fi1ed May'6, 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.HA.N01'da/;'c]c

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H ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 3, 1925.

I UNITED STATES I mBY A. NOBDWICI,'OF STOCKTON, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOB, BYHES ASSIGN- HINTS, OF ONE-HALF PAUL J. MABCHETTI, OF STOCKTON,CALIFORNIA.

inrmnn-comnusnon ENGINE.

Application ma flay e, 1922. Serial No. 559,018.

To all whom; it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY A. NORDWICK, a citizen of the UnitedStates,.residing at Stockton, county of San Joaquin, State ofCalifornia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inInternal-Combustion Engines; and I do declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had tothe accompanying drawings, and to the characters of reference markedthereon, which form a part of this application.

' This invention relates to improvements in internal combustion or gasengines, and particularly to a type in which the cylinders are arrangedin a common plane radially of the crank shaft, the latter havingcam-track means operatively connected to be turned with thereciprocation of the pistons.

The present engine is fundamentally of the same type as that shown in myUnited States Patent No. 1,374,164, dated April 5th, 1921, and in thearrangement of certain parts represents an improvement thereover.

The principal object of the present invention is to construct an engineof the above type so that the power-stroke cam is directly under thecentral plane of the cylinders and connecting rods of the pistons, sothat the power is-transmitted to the shaft in an undeviating line.

Another object is to provide suction and exhaust stroke cams independentof the power-stroke cam against all of which the connecting rods bear;and to provide means whereby the rollers may always be kept in closecontact with both sets of cams, thereby preventing any lost motion, whenthe pistonstrokes are reversed, thus eliminating the noi operation andrapid wear of the parts inevltable with play therebetween.

A further object is to provide for enabling the cylinders to be fired indirect sequence, giving a very steady operation of the engine andenabling a single valve operating cam bein used to actuate the intakevalves of all t e c linders for one cycle of operation,

and simllarly a single cam for the exhaust valves.

A further object of the invention is to produce a simple and inexpensivedevice and yet one which will be exceedingly effective for the purposesfor which it is designed.

These ob ects I accomplish by means of such structure and relativearrangement of erence indicate corresponding parts in the several views.

Fig. 1 1s a side view of the engine with the adjacent casing memberremoved, and

half in section, through the cylinders.

Fig. 2 is a half cross section, enlarged, taken on the line 2-2 of Fig.1.

Flg. 3 is a fragmentary section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on thedrawings,the numeral 1 denotes a casin cylindrical in, form, andpreferably made in .two parts split on avertical plane, for case ofmanufacture and assembly, each part being of the I same size. Pads 2project from the casing to enable the latter to be supported on asuitable base.

Journaled in the casing axially thereof 7 and ,pro ectlng therefrom atboth ends is the drive shaft 3, annular ball bearings 4.

being preferably employed, with oilpac'kmg means 5 about the shaftoutside the bearings, whereby the casing is made sub- 1 stantiallyoil-tight.

F'xed onto the casing and projecting outwardly thereof are thecylindersv 6, preferably four in number, these being positioned in acommon plane at right angles to the shaft and radially thereof, andspaced apart an even distance from eachother.

Fixed on the shaft, 3 in the planeof the center line of the cylinders isa' cam-disc 7, having an even number of hi hpoints or major-axes 8, anda correspon ing number of low points or minor axes 9, positioned halfway between the major axes, there being four of each of these points,whichpolnts are connected to form a star-shaped track 7 on its outersurface.

Likewise fixed on the shaft and-spaced from the disc 7 on bothsides'thereof are 100 discs 10, which have overhanging flanges 11extending toward the disc the inner surfaces of which flanges areshaped-symmetrical with or follow the contour of the cam track 7, but saced outwardly thereof. 106

These latter trac s have a taper or slope inwardly and away from thedisc 7 as shown at 12 in Fig. 2 for apurpose as will appear. Thecylindei's are provided with pistons 13 in which are pivoted in theusual manner 110 the connecting rods 14, whose lower ends are formed asforks or yokes 15 which carr spindles or pins 16 disposed parallel totie shaft On each pin between the connecting rod fork is a roller 17riding on the central track-surface 7, this roller preferably havingball bearings 18 between the same and the pin.

It will he noted that the cylinders are so disposed that the rollersalways hear on adj acent surfaces of the track, that is, between eachsuccessive minorand major axis, thereof. The cycle-order of each pistonis there fore always but one stroke ahead of or behind that of theadjacent piston.

Mounted on the outer ends of the pins for longitudinal adjustmentthereon are ball-bearing rollers 19, which bear against the tracks 12and whose outer faces are tapered or slopedto conform to the slope ofsaid tracks.

Pivoted on each pin intermediate the fork l5 and rollers 19 are tensionrods 20 which extend to a common pivotal mounting 21 with the casing ata point outwardly of the cam-discs and to the rear of the correspondingconnecting rod with regard to the direction of rotation of the shaft anddiscs.

Adjustment of the rollers 19. when necessary may be had by any suitablemeans, one way being to place shims 22 as needed between each roller andthe adjacent rod to bear against the shoulder 16 of the pin 16,employing adjustable locknuts 23 on the pin 16 to clamp the inner raceof the rollerbearing against the shims at the opposite ends.

,By reason of this feature, if the inner cam track 7 or roller 17 Wearsfaster than the outer tracks, either or both the rollers 19 may be movedto always contact with the tracks 11 and take up the relative differencein radial spacing thus had between the tracks, which if not the exactwidth of the rollers means lost motion with its consequent evils. Thisfeature also aids in manufacture, since with. this adjustment beingpossible, it is not necessary to so accurately finish the tracks withrespect to the radial spacing .between each other, or to have thediameter of the rollers so exact.

Fixed on the discs 10 and projecting outwardly thereof are flanges 24,each carrying an opposed air of cams 25 and 26 respectively, the ormerto actuate the tappets 27 of the intake valve stems 28 of the cylinders.and the latter to actuate the tappets 29 of the exhaust valve stems 30.the exhaust-valve cams being positioned to be one stroke ahead of theintake-valve cams.

Since there are four each of the high and low points on the track, thereare eight piston-stroke cam surfaces. giving two complete cycles ofoperation for each cylinder,

or in other words, each cylinder fires twice for each revolution of theshaft 3.

Owing to the fact that each piston-cycle but one stroke ahead of thenext, with suffice for the first complete cycle of op eration of allfour cylinders, while the other and opposed cams similarly actuate thevalves during the second cycle of operatlons.

With the arrangement of cylinders and cam tracks as shown, when No. 4cylinder has fired, No. 1 cylinder then again fires immediately after,followed by Nos. 2. 3 and 4', regardless of the fact that the cylindersare not evenly spaced about the circumfer ence of the casing. as mightat first glance seem necessary. There is therefore an even flow of powerto the shaft, instead of an intermittent flow as usual, giving greatfreedom from vibration and smoothness of operation, eliminating the needof the usual heavy fly wheel, though the cam-track discs serve thispurpose.

It will be noted that the suction and firing strokes always take placewith the same track surfaces engaging the connecting rod rollers in eachinstance, and the same of course is true of the exhaust and compressionstrokes.

The tension rods 20 allow the connecting rods to he flexibly mounted inthe pistons. and eliminate the need of making rigid connections of therods with the pistons. by taking the strain and side-thrust at theroller end of the connecting rods.

Timing of the engine may be accomplished. and any suitable ignitionmechanism driven. by means of a pinion or sprocket 31 on one end of theshaft 3. the opposite end' carrying a driving flange 32 whereby toconnect the shaft to a mechanism to be driven thereby.

From the foregoing description, it will be readily seen that I haveproduced such a device as substantially fulfills the objects of theinvention. as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferredconstruction of the device. still in practice such deviations from suchdetail may be resorted to rods, cam-track means on the shaft againstwhich the rollers bear, and tension rods flexibly mounted with theconnecting rods adjacent the rollers and to the casing to one side ofthe respective cylinders.

2. An internal combustion engine comprising a casing, a shaft turnablymounted therein, cylinders secured to the casing in a common plane atright angles to the shaft, pistons in the cylinders, connecting rodsprojecting therefrom, a plurality of rollers spaced longitudinally ofthe shaft on the outer ends of the rods, one such roller on each rodbeing centrally thereof, a camtrack fixed on the shaft in alinement withthe central rollers and whose outer surface forms the inner track onwhich said rollers bear, and additional track members on the shaftspaced on both sides of the central track, said last named track membershaving track surfacesopposed but corresponding to that of the centraltrack and spaced outwardly thereof, and against which the outer rollersbear.

3. An internal combustion engine comprising a casing, a shaft turn-ablymounted therein, cylinders secured to the casing in a common plane atright angles to the shaft, pistons in the cylinders, connecting rodsprojecting therefrom, a plurality of rollers spaced longitudinally ofthe, shaft on the outer ends of the rods, one such roller on each rodbeing centrally thereof, a camtrack fixed on the shaft in alinement withthe central rollers and whose outer surface forms the inner track onwhich said rollers bear, and additional track members on the shaftspaced on both sides of the central track, said last named track membershaving track surfaces opposed but corresponding to that of the centraltrack and spaced outwardly thereof, said outer track surfaces having aslope projecting toward the shaft away from the central track, the outerrollers bearing thereagainst and having a similar slope, and means foraltering the spacing of said outer rollers with respect to the centralroller.

4. An internal combustion engine comprising a casing, a shaft turnablymounted therein, cylinders mounted on the casing in a plane at rightangles to the shaft, pistons in the cylinders, a plurality of rollersspaced longitudinally of-theshaft mounted in connection with the pistonsat their outer ends, a track mounted on the shaft on whose outersurface. certain of the rollers bear, and additional track means on theshaft whose track surfaces correspond with but are opsed to the firstnamed track and spaced outwardly thereof and against which the remainingrollers bear.

5. An internal combustion engine cornprising a casing, a shaft turnablymounted therein,-cylinders mounted on the casing in a plane at rightangles to the shaft, pistons in the cylinders, a plurality of rollersspaced longitudinally of the shaft mounted in connection with thepistons at the outer ends, a track mounted on the shaft on whose outersurface certain of the rollers bear, addithereof and against which theremaining rollers bear, and means for taking up any lost motion betweenthe rollers and tracks.

6. A gas engine of the type described. having the cylinders spaced fortyfive degrees apart and arranged to fire in consecutive order, intake andexhaust valves for the cylinders, and a pair of cams on the engine shaftfor operating each class of valves, the cams of a pair beingdiametrically opposed and of a length such that but one valve of a classwill be opened at a time with the rotation of the shaft.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

HENRY A. NORDWICK.

